Is it a coincidence that the single was posted on the band’s site right after their appearance at the inauguration pre-game show?

You know who was really good at the pre-game show?  JOHN MELLENCAMP!

Yes, I’m a fan John.  Run that through your twisted little paranoid brain.  To see you there with just an acoustic, albeit supported by a guitar player and a band in the pit featuring your one time drummer Kenny Aronoff, made me feel all warm and fuzzy.  That a guy from the heartland with no connections singing what it’s like to be a real American can go all the way.  Not only with a supermodel, but the American public.  Still, no matter what stunts you pull, the mainstream no longer cares about you.  If you want to grow your career, do it from the inside out, motivating the fans you do have, not inconsiderable in number, rather than putting out press releases trumpeting your political statements.  Press releases are to be ignored.

And James Taylor…  Liked that you played that crazy electric guitar.  But John Legend is blander than you are.  And don’t we all hate that girl from Sugarland for some reason we just can’t put our finger on?  Great song choice, but the performance hit me more intellectually than emotionally, and that’s not the way you do it in rock and roll.

Bruce?

Utterly laughable.  Sure, "The Rising" may be lyrically appropriate, but sometimes you’ve got to seize the moment.  Which called for an acoustic version of "Born To Run", with the walls eventually opening to reveal the full E Street Band.  As for "This Land Is Your Land"…  Where was Arlo Guthrie?

Loved Stevie Wonder.  He can still play that clavinet.

As for U2…

Another great song choice!  They were doing it the way you’re supposed to, just the four of them, without backing tapes, Edge filling up the sound.  It’s just that outside, it’s hard to feel the music, even the edgiest band usually sounds flat, and it’s even worse if you’re appearing in daylight.  Still, gave me goosebumps.  But I didn’t love Bono being all things to all people.  Supporting both the Israelis and the Palestinians.  It’s more complicated than that.  Like how do we categorize Hamas, are they a terrorist group?  Bono knows the answer, but he needs everyone to love him.

As for the second number…  I was thinking for a minute it was going to be "I Will Follow".  Alas, it was one of the substandard new numbers.

And speaking of substandard…

Famously, Ian Anderson and Chrysalis subjected Jethro Tull’s 1987 album "Crest Of A Knave" to focus groups.  Listeners decided what songs ultimately appeared on the record, which turned out to be a huge success.  (And won the heavy metal Grammy, beating out Metallica.)

Am I a believer in research?  Not really, not in rock and roll.  It’ll tell you where you’ve been, but not where you’re going.  But if your goal is to have a hit and be famous…

"Beautiful Day" and "Vertigo" may have been cheap shots, playing to the last row, but at least they worked on that level.  You got ’em on one listen.  Maybe didn’t love ’em, but didn’t mind hearing them again.  Whereas "Get On Your Boots"…

You’ve got to go back to "The Fly".  The initial single off "Achtung Baby".  Truly left field.  But featuring crunchy, explosive guitar sounds.  And possessing an anthemic feel.  This was a track made for the darkness of a club.  With sweetness in the middle for sex in the bathroom.  It got better with every listen.  And you wanted to hear it again.  If for no reason than it sounded nothing quite like anything else you’d ever heard.  They could have led with "Mysterious Ways", even "One", but U2 did not play it safe.  But they led with a killer.  God, catch Adam Clayton’s bass.  And Bono’s vocal.  That was one thing that was truly impressive yesterday, Bono Vox’s voice.  In an era where no one can truly sing anymore, he can.

But "Get On Your Boots" sounds too garagey, without the soul that is evidenced in "The Fly".  And the chorus would make George Martin laugh.  There’s a bridge, but it’s not as catchy as the one in "I Want To Hold Your Hand".

But maybe this is just the cred track.  The one for the fans.  But how many people have actually heard this?  That’s the problem with spending months in the studio, you lose your perspective.  You hear tracks so many times you don’t realize that someone who’s not invested might be thrown off with one listen.

Maybe it’s the audio quality.  Maybe if it were richer, on a big system…

But if more people were allowed to hear the track before release they’d bump up against the dreaded piracy issue.  But maybe U2 could have taken a risk, a la Radiohead.  Let the AUDIENCE pick the single!  Truly go Web 2.0, getting people involved.  They’ve already got their own iPod, never mind iTunes commercials. Isn’t it time to test the limits further?

You’ve got Perez Hilton trumpeting the success of Kelly Clarkson’s new cut, saying it’s already gone to #12 on iTunes, and calling "Put On Your Boots" CRAPTASTIC!  Sure, who gives a shit about what Mario Lavendeira says?  Oops, more music consumers than are paying attention to the "New York Times", "Rolling Stone" and so many of the usual suspects.  Furthermore, Perez’s readers are ACTIVE!  They forward his posts to others, they create buzz.  And it’s hard to get the stink off something he condemns.

Which only matters if you need to be king of the world Perez inhabits.

Well, historically, in the twenty first century, U2 has.  So, this is not good.

Listen to "Get On Your Boots" (It takes a long time for the song to load, be patient!)

Read the lyrics